The Neville Incident, Part 2

Qiuzhang paused slightly after hearing Marietta's words, then nodded in wholehearted agreement.

"Exactly."

Although it was a match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, because of Lin Yue, the Ravenclaw Academy classmates still went to watch the match together.

Lin Yue sat in the stands beside Hermione, watching the Quidditch players from the two house teams enter the field with hollow eyes and a blank expression.

The match began with Madam Hooch's whistle. Lin Yue sat on one side of Hermione, while Ron and Neville sat on Hermione's other side.

Both boys enthusiastically waved their arms, constantly cheering for the Gryffindor Team.

Hermione had her hands clenched together on her lap, watching the match unfolding high in the air with some nervousness on her face.

Professor Snape was the referee for this match, so Harry did not dare let his guard down in the slightest. The moment he took off, he began scouring the entire field from high above at top speed, doing his best to find the Golden Snitch.

Not only that, the entire Gryffindor Team seemed especially desperate, afraid that Professor Snape might seize any opportunity to do something to them.

Lin Yue's calm gaze followed Harry's figure as he moved through the sky, watching him search tirelessly for the Golden Snitch with a heart as still as water.

Everyone around her was worked up, shouting loudly to cheer for their own houses. Even the Ravenclaw Academy students could not help waving their arms and yelling encouragement.

Only Lin Yue sat in her seat, her heart utterly dead and her expression as lifeless as stagnant water, completely out of place amid the surrounding atmosphere.

Yet she was clearly not the only one who did not fit in. There were others—and other words as well...

"Do you know what all the Gryffindor Team members have in common?" Draco Malfoy's face suddenly turned around from the row in front, aimed directly at Ron and Neville, who were shouting their cheers.

Ron and Neville both froze. They had not expected Malfoy to come watch when it was not even a Slytherin House match.

Draco Malfoy received no response, but he continued regardless.

"Potter has no Parents, and Weasley has no money... They're like a team made up of a bunch of pathetic losers."

Draco let out a mocking snicker, while his lackeys seated on either side of him, Crabbe and Goyle, burst into laughter as well.

"And you, Longbottom." Draco lifted his chin and looked at Neville with contempt. "They should let you onto the Gryffindor Team too. Do you know why? Because you have no brain."

Hearing Draco Malfoy's provocation, Ron and Neville both clenched their fists. However, Ron's attention was fixed on Harry high in the air, so he did not bother responding at all.

Neville, on the other hand, took a deep breath. Thinking of what Harry and Ron had told him before, he gathered his courage and glared furiously at Draco Malfoy.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Neville's face flushed red as he tried to make his voice sound more intimidating. "I'm worth more than twelve of you put together!"

"What?" Draco stared at Neville in astonishment, as though he could not believe what Neville had said—or perhaps could not believe Neville actually dared to talk back.

"I said, I'm worth more than twelve of you put together!" Neville gradually calmed down and spoke with determination.

"Neville Longbottom! How dare you, you idiot!"

Draco gritted his teeth and glared at Neville, his eyes filled with rage.

"You're just as stupid as your Parents, which is why they..."

Before Draco could finish, Neville, whose fury had been completely ignited by the insult to his Parents, charged at him. He climbed over the seats, grabbed Draco, and started swinging his fists.

The two immediately tumbled to the ground and began fighting in the row in front of Hermione and the others.

Seeing this, Goyle and Crabbe hurriedly rolled up their sleeves and joined the fray, grabbing Draco to help him deal with Neville.

Hermione was completely focused on the match in the sky and knew nothing about this "battle" between the boys.

Lin Yue merely shifted her gaze slightly and looked at them twice. It was wrong to insult people, and it was wrong to hit people—those two thoughts flashed through her mind.

After that, Lin Yue felt nothing else and continued watching the match high in the air.

Ron had seen the entire "battle" between Neville and Malfoy, but this was the crucial moment when Harry was chasing the Golden Snitch, so he really could not go help Neville.

Faster, Harry, faster... Catch the Golden Snitch already, Ron silently prayed.

Perhaps his prayer had some effect, because Harry suddenly lunged forward and caught the Golden Snitch in his hand.

"Brilliant, Harry!" Ron shouted excitedly. Then, without pausing for even a second, he climbed over the seats and charged into the row ahead to join the fight, throwing punches and kicks at Draco, Goyle, and Crabbe.

"That's great! That's amazing! Only five minutes—five minutes!" Hermione sprang to her feet, bouncing excitedly as she celebrated the victory.

She was happy for Harry. He had caught the Golden Snitch only five minutes after the match began—Harry had definitely set a record!

So overwhelmed with excitement that she even bent down and pulled Lin Yue fiercely into an embrace.

Held in Hermione's arms, Lin Yue did not feel anything else. She only felt as though her chest had suddenly grown warm.

Still expressionless in Hermione's embrace, Lin Yue turned her gaze toward the row of seats ahead.

She had just seen Ron climb into the row in front, so he must have joined the fight too.

Only after venting her excitement did Hermione release Lin Yue, her face red. It was unclear whether it was from the rush of blood caused by excessive excitement or some other reason.

She instinctively looked toward her other side, only to find that Ron and Neville, whom she had expected to be wildly celebrating and jumping around, were nowhere to be seen.

Hermione paused in confusion. "Where are Ron and Neville?" They could not have gone back early without watching the match, so where had they gone?

Lin Yue slowly turned back to look at Hermione.

"Lin Yue, do you know where Ron and Neville went? I was only watching the match just now and didn't notice."

Hermione lowered her head and looked at the still-composed Lin Yue in confusion. She had no idea where Ron and Neville could have gone.

At that, Lin Yue raised her right hand and pointed toward the row of seats in front of her. "Over there."

Hermione looked in the direction Lin Yue was pointing and froze for a moment. The seats in the front row? But there was no one in the seats directly in front of them. What was more, the classmates on either side of them... seemed to be edging even farther away?

After a moment of confusion, Hermione walked over to take a look. Peering over the back of the front-row seats, she saw five boys rolling around in a tangled heap on the ground before them.

Ron, Neville, Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe were throwing punches at one another.

Ron and Neville in particular were hitting especially hard for some reason. Draco and the other two had gained no advantage at all.

Hermione clicked her tongue and slowly stepped back to Lin Yue's side, turning her head to look at her still utterly unchanged expression.

"What happened? Why are they fighting?"

Lin Yue spoke in a mechanical voice. "Draco Malfoy insulted the Gryffindor Team, mocked Ron's family, and insulted Neville's Parents, so they started fighting."

As Hermione listened to Lin Yue's account, undisguised disgust appeared on her face.

She did not like people resolving problems with violence, but she had to admit that, when it came to someone like Draco Malfoy, she very much approved of giving him a harsh "lesson" he would remember.

Neither Hermione nor Lin Yue intervened in the boys' "battle." Hermione saw that Ron and Neville had the upper hand, so there was no need to step in.

As for Lin Yue, she simply could not think of how she ought to intervene. Fighting was wrong; she should not involve herself in it.

So, together with most of the people who had watched the match, the two girls left the Quidditch stands and headed toward Hogwarts Castle.

Only the five boys remained behind, still punching and kicking one another on the ground.

As soon as they left the Quidditch Pitch, Hermione and Lin Yue ran into Harry, who was walking toward them.

"Harry, congratulations!" Hermione broke into a bright smile when she saw him and offered her praise.

"You must have broken a record!"

"You did break a record," Lin Yue said calmly from beside her, nodding. "Congratulations, Harry."

Hearing Lin Yue's voice, as placid and unchanging as ever, Harry felt that he had become thoroughly used to it. The boy smiled spiritedly.

"Thanks, Hermione. Thanks, Lin Yue... Where's Ron?" As he spoke, Harry searched behind the two girls, but could not find his best mate anywhere.

"Um... as for Ron..." Hermione hesitated before telling Harry what she had just seen. "He and Neville are beating up Malfoy and his two little lackeys."

"What?!" Harry's eyes widened, and he immediately moved to run back up into the stands to help.

Hermione quickly grabbed his arm and stopped him from charging up there. "Don't get worked up. Ron and Neville have the upper hand. The two of them gave Malfoy and the others quite a beating."

"By the time you get there, they'll probably be done already."

Just as Hermione finished speaking, Harry saw two figures coming down from the stands. They were Ron and Neville.

There was a red welt on Ron's forehead, while one of Neville's eyes had been bruised black.

"Hiss... Didn't Hermione say you two had the upper hand?"

Harry could not help sucking in a breath when he saw the state Ron and Neville were in.

Ron raised a hand to rub his forehead, baring his teeth in pain for a moment before lifting his brows with a rather smug look.

"Of course. Neville and I didn't let them have it easy. They're still lying in the stands, too beaten up to come down."

Harry nodded at that and gave the two of them a thumbs-up.

Neville could not help smiling as well. He reached into his pocket, took out a Chocolate frog card, and handed it to Harry.

"Thank you, Harry. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found the courage to stand up to Malfoy. I heard you're collecting Chocolate frog cards, so this is for you."

Harry politely accepted the card Neville offered him and gently shook his head.

"No, Neville. You already had the courage to stand up to Malfoy. Ron and I only helped bring it out."

Neville scratched his head. "Anyway, thank you both. I'll be going now."

After saying goodbye to the four of them, Neville turned and left. Gryffindor would definitely be holding a celebration, and if he got back early, he could eat more snacks.

Watching Neville leave, Lin Yue turned to Hermione. Just as she was about to say that she too needed to go back and study, Harry suddenly cried out.

"What is it?" Hermione, who had been about to hear what Lin Yue wanted to say, froze at the sound and turned toward Harry, whose voice had suddenly shot up.

Harry took a deep breath and held the Chocolate frog card out before the other three.

"I knew I remembered Nicolas Flamel! Come look at this!"

As Hermione read what was on the Chocolate frog card, her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Merlin's underpants! I can't believe I forgot it!"

"It?" Ron looked at Hermione in utter confusion.

But Hermione did not explain further. She grabbed Lin Yue's right wrist and pulled her toward Hogwarts Castle.

"Follow me!"

Hearing Hermione's words, Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and immediately obediently followed after her.

They ran all the way to the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room, and both Hermione and Lin Yue were slightly out of breath.

Hermione gave the password, and the Fat Lady opened the door for them. Hermione tugged Lin Yue inside.

But Lin Yue stopped at the doorway and did not take another step forward.

When she could not pull her along, Hermione turned back to look at Lin Yue. "Lin Yue, what's wrong?"

Lin Yue calmly looked at the Gryffindor Common Room before her. "The School Rules don't state whether students from other houses are allowed to enter the Gryffindor Common Room."

For this sort of behavior that was neither forbidden nor explicitly permitted, Lin Yue instinctively chose not to do it.

Hermione froze for a moment at Lin Yue's question, then looked at her with amused exasperation.

"If the School Rules don't say you can't, then it's fine."

After saying that as if it were only natural, Hermione took Lin Yue by the hand and led her into the Gryffindor Common Room.

The Gryffindor little lions who had been preparing a celebration in the common room were surprised when they saw Hermione bring Lin Yue in, but none of them said anything.

After all, they all knew Lin Yue. She wasn't from Slytherin, so bringing her in was no big deal.

Hermione led Lin Yue to a corner of the common room. "Wait here for me. I'm going back to the dormitory to get something. When Harry and Ron get back, have them wait here too. Understand?"

Lin Yue nodded expressionlessly, her voice mechanical. "Okay."

Hermione smiled, then turned and dashed up the stairs toward her dormitory.

The very next second after she rushed upstairs, Harry and Ron came panting into the Gryffindor Common Room.

Breathing heavily, Ron reached out and draped an arm over Harry's shoulder. "Hermione... what's gotten into Hermione? She dragged Lin Yue off and ran so fast—we couldn't catch up no matter how hard we tried."

Harry was exhausted too. Supporting himself with a hand on his waist, he struggled to catch his breath. "No idea..."

He looked around the room and finally spotted Lin Yue in the corner.

"Lin Yue's over there. Let's go ask her."

"Okay..." Ron nodded after steadying his breathing, then followed Harry over.